What if you could send or return a parcel directly from your home? At the end of September, we launched a trial to explore new ways to make that possible. The trial includes partners Tori and Gardi, and involves fourteen participants from Posti and Tori.
Why test sending from home
The online market for secondhand goods is growing rapidly. At the beginning of this year, one in four e-commerce parcels we delivered contained a pre-owned item. As secondhand shopping and peer-to-peer marketplaces become more popular, the sender is increasingly an individual consumer. This shift is changing people’s needs and expectations around shipping.
In this trial, participants can also return online purchases delivered by Posti. That means the same service supports both peer-to-peer and regular e-commerce.
We want to create services that make everyday life smoother – and sending a parcel as effortless as possible.
How it works in practice
Fourteen employees from Posti and Tori are testing different ways to send parcels from home over six weeks:
leaving the parcel behind the door for pickup
using Gardi’s smart mailbox with a digital lock
We’re collecting feedback from participants to learn what works best in real life. That helps us develop solutions that truly support people’s everyday needs.
The trial uses Posti’s weekday delivery network, which already handles letters, magazines, invoices and small parcels. By connecting new sending methods to our existing network, we can offer a better customer experience and a smoother everyday flow.
This is a natural step for us. We’re present across Finland. We deliver to homes and businesses nationwide every day. Now we want to explore how that reach can support new ways of sending too.
Partners: Gardi and Tori
We’re running the trial together with Gardi and Tori.
Gardi is a modern smart mailbox with a digital lock. It receives both letters and parcels securely, 24/7. The lock works with a tag or a shareable PIN code. The driver can use the PIN to drop off or pick up a parcel even if no one’s home. The recipient can collect the parcel whenever it suits them.
"We estimate that there are around 2.1 million traditional letterboxes in Finland, but consumer needs have changed radically. Due to the growth of online shopping, parcel volumes have multiplied in a short time. The popularity of second-hand trading between consumers is a great example of this shift. Gardi’s smart mailbox replaces the old letterbox and enables both incoming and outgoing parcel traffic directly from home. The home-sending pilot with Posti and Tori gives us first-hand insight into how consumers behave – and what they need. It helps us further improve the customer experience”, says Petteri Heiman, CEO of Gardi.
Tori is Posti’s long-time partner, a pioneer in peer-to-peer commerce and Finland’s largest marketplace. Tori brings valuable insight into the secondhand market and customer needs.
“Our research shows that 75% of Finns plan to sell items in the next three months. Making sending easy is essential. Together with Posti, we want to test solutions that make secondhand buying and selling smoother. Buyers can already order used items to their doorstep with one click. Now we’re exploring how to make sending just as easy”, says Jenni Tuomisto, Director at Tori.
Why ease matters
At Posti, our goal is to make everyday life easier for our customers. We’re constantly developing our services and expertise to offer smooth, reliable solutions for changing needs.
As letter volumes decline and parcels grow, e-commerce is shaping our business more than ever. We want to lead that change.
This trial is a step in that direction. It helps us build customer-driven services that meet growing needs.
“Peer-to-peer commerce is becoming more like e-commerce, and that’s increasing parcel sending by individuals. We want to make sending easier for everyone. Home pickup supports this shift – and helps people manage their busy lives”, says Elina Rosenlund, Sales Director for consumer sending at Posti.
Receiving made simple
A good example of similar development is Small parcel to door, a new delivery method launched nationwide in autumn 2024. It was born from customer demand: people wanted a simpler and more affordable way to receive small parcels.
Just like the current trial, this service was designed to make everyday life easier.
With Small parcel to door, small peer-to-peer and online orders are delivered by the mail carrier directly to the doorstep, mail slot or mailbox. The recipient doesn’t need to be home. A notification and photo are sent to the OmaPosti app.
The service uses Posti’s existing weekday delivery network. It shows how trials and customer insight can grow into services that genuinely improve everyday life.
Looking ahead
This trial is one step in our ongoing development. By learning from participants, we can build services that support sustainable consumption and make parcel sending easier and more worry-free.
We want to be a trusted everyday partner – and that’s why we keep developing our services based on real customer needs.